


Office Crush

by SoFarAway93



Category: K-pop, TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Adorable Choi Yeonjun, Choi Yeonjun - Freeform, Crush, Cute, F/M, Office Romance, Office crush, Soft Choi Yeonjun, Sweet, Together x Tomorrow, Work Romance, Workplace Relationship, Workplace Romance, Workplace crush, kpop, txt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoFarAway93/pseuds/SoFarAway93
Summary: After your former coworker leaves for a new job, work has been boring. The company replaces her with Choi Yeonjun, a Korean man who immigrated to the US. Work becomes far more enjoyable now that you have an office crush on the new hire.
Relationships: Choi Yeonjun and You, Choi Yeonjun/Reader, Choi Yeonjun/You
Comments: 7
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea popped into my head while being bored at work. I thought of how much fun it would be to have Yeonjun as a coworker. I hope you like the story!

Another boring day at the office is what you thought today was going to be. Another day where you did the same few repetitive tasks, heard the same stories from your coworker who had worked here for 30 years and ate the same boring apple slices for your mid-morning snack.

Your supervisor steps into the middle of your department along with somebody you don’t recognize. They are surrounded by the numerous beige cubicles where all of the employees spend eight hours behind an outdated computer wishing for 5 p.m.

“Hey, can I get everyone’s attention please?” They snap their fingers twice and say louder, “Look alive people, I have an announcement.”

Everyone pops off their headphones to look up at them standing next to a young man whose back was turned facing the opposite half of the room.

“We have a new hire starting today, his name is Choi Yeonjun. Mr. Choi will be working in our department and sitting in the cubicle by Y/N. Y/N, you’ll be his mentor for the next two weeks.”

The supervisor walks Yeonjun over to the cubicle adjacent to you. Your former coworker had left for a better job on the other side of the country so you had been sitting by yourself for well over a month. You two were best work friends so having somebody replace her made you miss her even more.

“Mr. Choi, this will be your desk and this is Y/N, your mentor,” they say.

You stand up to introduce yourself and nearly fall down, taken aback by how good looking the new hire is. He has warm chocolate eyes, the fullest lips you’ve ever seen on a man and the softest looking skin. His hair is bleached blonde and parted down the middle, making him look even younger.

You hold out your hand, “Good morning, Mr. Choi. I’m Y/n, pleased to meet you.”

He takes your hand and shakes it, “It’s nice to meet you too. I will do my best while you mentor me these next couple weeks.”

Your supervisor walks away to go have their fourth smoke break today and Yeonjun takes a seat next to you. His light blue and white stripped shirt fits him perfectly, same for his black pants, as if they were made just for him.

“Teach me your ways, I’m ready to learn,” he says 

_What a cutie_ , you think.

You get signed on to his desktop, set up his email address and voicemail and start going over what he will be responsible for at the company. He looks wide-eyed and innocent, as if today is a bit overwhelming for him.

“Have you taken a tour of the building?” You ask.

He shakes his head, “No, not yet.”

“I’ll take you around and we can grab coffee. My treat,” leading him out of the office to the hallway.

“So how long have you been working here?” He asks shyly, trying to make small talk.

“I’ve been here for a little over a year. It pays the bills but it’s not the highlight of my life or anything.”

He smiles to himself, not quite sure how to reply to your answer. He puts his left hand in his pocket and runs his right hand through his hair.

_Holy hell, he’s really cute! How did I get so lucky to mentor a cutie like him?_

You take him through each department then end up at the coffee shop next door.“Are you sure it’s ok for us to leave the building?” Yeonjun asks.

“Are you afraid of getting in trouble?” You tease. “If you haven’t noticed, our supervisor smokes constantly so they’re usually outside puffing away on a cigarette. And they pay them significantly more to smoke the day away!”

You order a latte and Yeonjun gets an iced Americano.

“I’ve never had an Americano, I feel like they would be terribly bitter,” you say after sipping your drink.

“It’s not so bad. I feel fancy when I drink one so that’s what I typically order,” he says.

As you two walk back to the office you ask him to tell you more about himself.

“I lived in America when I was a kid,” he says. “When I got older I decided I wanted to move back and see if this is somewhere I want to be.”

“How long have you been in America?” You ask.

“For six months so I’m still new to the American life. It’s been a bit of a culture shock but I’m finally getting used to the way of life here,” he blushes, embarrassed to admit something personal to you.

“Don’t be embarrassed, it’s alright,” you say. “It takes time to get adjusted to a new place especially a new country!”

“Thank you, Y/n. I appreciate that,” he blushes again but this time with a smile.

“Are you here by yourself?”

He nods, “Yes, I’m here by myself. My family is back in Korea so we find time to talk in the evenings or in the morning.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” you say as you enter the elevator together.

“You’re sweet,” he says. “Thank you for everything. I’m having a great first day thanks to you.”

Your heart feels like it’s about to beat out of your chest at the compliment. It takes you a moment to collect yourself but you thank him.

The elevator doors open and you both make your way to your area of the office.

You give Yeonjun some forms to fill out to keep him busy after you explain how important it is to choose the right desktop wallpaper. Your recommendations of cats wrestling in a field of flowers and Sailor Moon doing her signature pose made him laugh. He ended up choosing the cats.

The day seemed to fly by having Yeonjun with you. He was a good listener and eager to learn about his new job as well as his new mentor.

“Y/n, would you like to have lunch with me? I want to repay your kindness,” Yeonjun says.

You blush and ask yourself why this guy makes you so flustered. Is it his cute face? That he is half a foot taller than you? His perfectly styled hair? His pillow-soft lips?

_Those lips…_

You blink back to reality, “Sure, that would be really lovely.”

He leans near your ear and softly says, “Lovely? I was hoping for sweet.” He begins to walk towards the bathroom, now speaking at a normal volume, “I’m going to wash up and we can go.”

As he exits the room, you feel your face burning up and your stomach twisting into a small knot.

_Is he flirting with me? No, he’s just being kind. That’s all, nothing else._

He comes back and you two head out to find something delicious among the food vendors that line the streets of the city’s business district. He suggests you both get something different so you can share.

“You want to share?” You ask, thinking that that is kind of forward of him.

“Yeah, is that a problem?” He looks puzzled as if your question was surprising to him.

“No, not at all. I think that’s a great idea, Yeonjun.”

He smiles, “Ok, then let’s go.”

There was a Korean food truck so naturally he made his way over there to get kimchi fried rice and tteokbokki then paid for you to get falafel on a salad from your favorite halal cart. You both sit together on a park bench to enjoy the autumn leaves.

“I love when the leaves start changing color, it’s so beautiful,” you say then take a bite of falafel. “Also thank you for lunch.”

After swallowing a spoonful of rice, Yeonjun agrees, “You’re welcome. Is autumn your favorite season?”

You nod, “It is. I like that it gets chilly outside and all of the fall activities people do is always fun. The person you replaced, her and I would carve pumpkins together every year for Halloween.”

The thought of your former coworker reminds you of how much you miss her. Having Yeonjun with you all day made you forget about her. She was your closest friend and now you were thousands of miles apart.

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Yeonjun looks at you with concern on his face, as if he’s hoping that you’re alright. His presence is warm, dulling the pain of missing your friend.

“It was fun. Do you want to try my falafel?”

You put your styrofoam container closer to him.

“Thank you,” he takes a bite of falafel drizzled with yogurt sauce. With his mouth full he says, “This is so good!”

You laugh at how adorable he is, “I’m happy you like it.”

He takes a rice cake in his chopsticks and holds it out for you, “Try this. This is one of my favorite foods from home.”

Your face goes red. Nobody has tried to feed you since you were a kid so you feel embarrassed. He looks at you with doe eyes that melt your heart. You gather all your courage and push away the nerves and eat the rice cake from his chopsticks.

“What do you think?” 

“It’s really good! A little spicy but really good nonetheless,” you say and take a large gulp of water. It was much spicer than you imagined but you couldn’t let Yeonjun know you’re a wimp!

He gives you a big smile that makes your heart light up. “That makes me happy! I’ll get them for you again sometime.”

_Again? So he wants to spend time together in the future?_

You both finish up your meals and he takes the trash away to the bin. You walk back together talking as if you’ve known each other for longer than a handful of hours. Your conversations are becoming more natural as the day progresses.

Back at the office, you give Yeonjun more paperwork to fill out and get his calendar up to date with all of the weekly meetings then discuss what each day typically looks like. Then before you know it, the clock strikes 5 p.m. and you’re both ready to clock out to go home.

You walk out together, finding out he lives on the same side of the city as you but in different a neighborhood.

“Can I walk with you to the subway?” He asks, looking shy.

“Of course,” you give him a reassuring smile and begin your trek to the nearest station.

After almost an hour, you are finally home in your apartment. You lay on the couch to reflect on how well you and Yeonjun got on today.

_Yeonjun is so cute! He seems like a genuinely sweet and nice guy, two things that are rare to find in people. My God, I feel like I’m in high school again with a crush on a boy in class. I can’t deny it for a second, I have an office crush._


	2. Supervisors Suck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeonjun and you have been getting along really well. You two just click. Somebody in the office has taken notice to your quick friendship and wants to cause some drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy almost birthday to Yeonjun!!

Its been a week since Yeonjun and you had been cubicle buddies at work. Instead of dreading work, you looked forward to it. Well you looked forward to seeing Yeonjun. The conversations you two have, the laughs you share and your daily lunch dates are what you anticipate.

The more you get to know Yeonjun, your feelings for him continue to grow. You find out he’s sweet, kind, funny and a great listener. That if there was something going on in your life, he would have the power to cheer you up with one smile or joke.

You arrive at work on time, walking across the office to your cubicle where Yeonjun is already sitting at his desk typing away.

“Good morning, Yeonjun,” you say while setting down your bag at your desk.

“Good morning, y/n” he looks up at you with shining eyes. “Your hair looks nice today.”

You blush, “Aww, thank you. Your hair looks nice today too.”

“Thank you,” he brushes a few strands of blonde hair behind his ear.

You place your coat on the back of your chair and take a seat. Every morning your second task (your first task being saying hello to Yeonjun) was checking your inbox which was usually already filled with what you’ll be focusing on for the day.You open the email app to find a terrifying subject line from your supervisor that read “see me at noon.”

A pit forms in your stomach.

 _Am I in trouble?_ , you think. _I must have done something wrong but what could it be? Did I mess up on the report I handed in yesterday? That must have been it! Yeonjun looked over it before I submitted it to them, maybe he missed something too. Why did I ask Yeonjun? He’stoo new, how would he even know what to look for?I hope it wasn’t something huge. What if I get fired!? Oh my God, you’ve done it now, y/n!_

A tap on the shoulder brings you out of your head and make into reality.

“Y/n,” Yeonjun says with a gentle voice. “Are you alright? I was trying to get your attention for the last minute but you were starring into your computer screen like a zombie.”

Feeling exposed that he had seen you in such a state, you try to brush it off with a giggle and an “I’m fine, no worries” but he wasn’t buying it, you could see it in his eyes.

“If you say so. But if something is ever going on, you can talk to me.”

“Thank you, Yeonjun. I’ll keep that in mind.”

You feel so lucky to have somebody caring by your side.

The hours tick by quicker than normal as if somebody pressed fast forward. It was already 11:30 and you were in the bathroom pacing the floor trying to calm yourself down. You needed a game plan. Your boss couldn’t think you were a wimpy wimp!

Your phone vibrates in your pocket so you pull it out to check the notification. It’s a message from an unknown number.

 **Unknown:** Hey, you alright?

 **You:** …

A minute goes by and you get a second message.

 **Unknown:** This is Yeonjun lol. Kiki gave me your number :)

_What’s he doing?! Asking Kiki for my number! Sending a smiley face! I cannot handle this boy right now when I’m about to walk the plank in 15 minutes._

**Yeonjun:** You’ve been gone for like an hour so I wanted to check in

You put your hand over your heart and nearly tear up at his words. His message brings a smile to you lips, making you feel a bit more at ease. How did a couple words from Yeonjun make the situation feel more tolerable?

 **You:** Hahaha, almost an hour ;)  
**You:** I’ll let you know if I’m alright after I meet with our supervisor -_- But if I don’t make it back alive, it was nice knowing you for one week hahaha

He messages back straight away.

 **Yeonjun:** Don’t worry, I’ll come to your funeral hahaha

 **Yeonjun:** Everything is going to be alright. No matter what happens, let’s take our lunch break afterwards, ok? :)

Your supervisor couldn’t kill you, you had official lunch plans with Yeonjun!

 **You:** Ok :) :) :) :)

You delete the three extra smily faces so you don’t look insane and send it off. The clock says 11:55 now so you take one last breath and ask the universe for strength. You walk down to your supervisor’s office feeling more anxious with each step. If this was the end, at least you made a good go of it. You knock on the door and they tell you to enter.

“Close the door will you, y/n?” They say as they motion for you to sit. You do as you’re told and try to let them see you sweat.

“You wanted to speak with me,” you say.

“Yes I do,” they clear their throat. “Do you know our policy on office romances?”

Your cheeks blush, you’re taken aback by their question. So maybe this wasn’t about the report?

“Umm, yes.” You say with confusion in your voice.

“Great so I don’t have to explain it to you,” they smile like they have some secret that they are dangling in front of your face but won’t let you know it.

“Excuse me. I don’t mean to sound rude but what are you getting at? I’m not in a relationship.”

They raise an eyebrow, “I see how friendly you and Mr. Choi have gotten. Going for coffee, taking lunch together, walking out of the building together. It’s all well and good but don’t let me find out that you two are dating. If you date, you will either have to break up or somebody has to quit.”

You’re shocked by their accusation. Why are you two having this conversation? You can feel your face getting hot from being upset, angry and embarrassed.

“Again, I don’t mean to sound rude but isn’t it a bit presumptuous for you to assume that Yeonjun and I are dating? You asked me to help him get set up and adjusted so that’s what I’ve been doing.”

“Whatever you say,” they say.

“If this was an actual issue, wouldn’t you have asked Yeonjun to join us for this conversation?”

“Since you’ve been here for awhile I decided to speak with you first. You know, remind you that everyone at this company is replaceable.”

“Are we finished then? I need to get back to work.”

They nod and motion lazily with their hand for you to exit the office. You calmly walk out, shut the door and hurry back to the bathroom as quickly as possible. On your almost job to the toilet, Yeonjun steps into the hallway.

“Hey, y/n,” he says with a can of coffee in his hand. “Are you ready for lunch?”

Taken off guard by him popping out of nowhere, you twist some strands of hair around your finger nervously, “Hey Yeonjun. Yeah I’m ready, let’s go right now. Let me head to the bathroom first then I’ll get my bag and coat.”

You walk the rest of the way to the bathroom where you wish you could scream.

_Who does that asshole think they are?! The nerve of them! To assume that Yeonjun and I are together and them to point fingers at me?! What year is this 1950? For fucks sake. I’m going to have to tell Yeonjun what happened, he’s going to ask. I can’t lie to his angelic face._

After washing your hands you collect yourself and exit the bathroom to find Yeonjun waiting for you with your purse and coat.

“Oh Jun! You didn’t have to get my stuff for me,” you couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” he smiles back at you. “Let’s go eat, I’m so hungry!”

The pair of you leave your department and make your way down the stairs to leave the building. You decide to get spicy pho from a Vietnamese takeout restaurant a couple blocks away. As you walk down the sidewalk, the autumn air nipping at your nose, Yeonjun brings up the meeting.

“So what did the supervisor have to say,” he hears you sigh. “But if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s ok. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, it’s ok. I just don’t want what I tell you to make you uncomfortable,” you twiddle your thumbs, now feeling nervous. Worried that your supervisor’s bullshit will push Yeonjun away from you. That he would even consider moving to a different part of the office, not speak to you, or worse, quit. It’s only been a short amount of time but you didn’t want Yeonjun out of your life. Not yet.

“Did they hit on you or something?”

“No, thank God no,” you take a quick breath. “They asked if you and I were dating.”

Yeonjun stops walking, “What? Why would they ask you that?”

“That’s what I asked them. That they assumed that we are dating because we spend time together and clearly get along. It was humiliating and upsetting. I felt so small in their office. Like they were trying to make me feel insignificant and little by throwing our friendship in my face.”

“So we are friends?” Yeonjun smirks at you. His face looking as beautiful as ever.

You can’t hold back your laughter, “Of course, we’re friends.”

“That’s good to know we are on the same page. But honestly, don’t let them get into your head though. We aren’t doing anything against company policy by being friends and enjoying one another’s presence. Forget about that bullshit.”

“So you’re not weirded out or anything?”

He raises an eyebrow, “Why would I be weirded out? You didn’t do anything weird. But our supervisor?” He whispers, “I think they’re just jealous.”

He has you laughing again, “Jealous of who? Me? You? Us?”

“Us. Now let’s get going, our lunch break will be up before we know it and we haven’t even spoken about that new Netflix series.”

“That should have been our top priority! Not this made up drama.”

As you two start walking he bumps you with his hip and says, “I liked it when you called me Jun earlier. If you want to call me that I’m alright with me.”

_God, he’s so cute!!_

You bump him back with your arm, “Ok, Jun.”


	3. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeonjun lets you listen to his workday playlist with him. There's flirting and it's kinda cute.

It’s been two months since Choi Yeonjun and you have been working side by side. You continue to go on coffee runs, eat lunch and sometimes even ride the subway together on your ways home. It’s all sort of become a routine that you’ve both fallen into with ease.

Your friendship is natural. Neither of you had to try too hard because conversations and laughs flow organically. Though you love spending time with the cutest guy in the entire office while on the clock, you hope he will ask you to hang out after work or on a weekend. The idea plays in your mind of him asking you to go to the beach together, see a movie or invite you over to his apartment. Anything would have your heart soaring with happiness!

You’re not the type to wait around for somebody to make the first move but with Yeonjun, you don’t want to fuck it up. He’s not just the man you have a crush on, he’s also your coworker. Somebody you would still have to see everyday and sit next to. This is why it isn’t wise to date someone you work with but how many other people had a cutie like Yeonjun to pine after?

It’s Friday morning and the day is off to a typical start. You’re sipping black coffee out of a travel mug while reviewing 10 pages of spreadsheets to hand in to your supervisor before lunch. Yeonjun is typing away with earbuds in, nodding his head along with the music. He had a little smile on his face, you could feel how happy whatever he was playing made him.

You tap his thigh with the eraser of a pencil. He pulls out one of the headphones, “What’s up?”

“What are you listening to?”

“‘Sunflower’ by Post Malone and Swae Lee. It was in that animated Spider-Man movie.”

Your face lights up, “I love that song! When I had a car I used to blast that song when it came on the radio.”

“It is good! Want to listen?” He holds a wireless earbud out for you to take.

“Yeah, sure,” blushing a little bit. Yeonjun makes your stomach flip over the smallest, cutest things. You take the earbud and put it in your ear.

“I’ll start it from the beginning so we can enjoy the entire song,” he restarts the song and you both dance a little bit in your office chairs as you return to your work.

When the chorus begins he looks at you and mouths the lyrics, “You’re the sunflower, you’re the sunflower.”

It’s only lyrics to a song but it makes your heart flutter and butterflies dance wildly in your stomach. You try to contain your stupid grin by taking another sip of coffee.

“What you’re not going to sing a long with me?” He teases in a quiet voice.

You giggle like a schoolgirl, “I didn’t know singing with you was a part of the deal.”

“Oh it very much is required,” he says. “Ok the second chorus is coming again so get ready, y/n.”

Both of you are smiling big while you mouth the lyrics at each other. Being with him in this moment makes you feel like you’re in high school again, like you are desk mates being silly during a lull in class. You feel light and happy in this moment.

The song ends and you return the earbud to Yeonjun, “Thank you, that was a lot of fun.”

“If you want I can be your personal DJ for the day,” he hands you back the earbud.

_God, this really feels like high school._

“I would be honored, Jun,” you pop the earbud in.

As the hour passes by Yeonjun takes you through his workday playlist that mostly consists of American hip hop which you didn’t expect from him. You really had no expectations at all so you would have be surprised by anything.

You hand his earbud back, “Well it sounds like you have pretty good taste in music.”

He shrugs, “You know, I try.”

The day continues on as usual until it’s quitting time. Yeonjun and you walk to the train station together like always, chatting about nonsense and making each other laugh.

You both hop on the train and stand close next to each other due to the large number of people and small space of the train car.

He looks down at you with warm eyes, giving you a sweet Yeonjun smile.

You can’t help but beam back at him, “What is it?”

He pushes a few hairs behind his ear, “I had fun listening to music with you today.”

“I did too. It was a good time.”

“I have a record player at my apartment,” he says.

“That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted a record player since I was a teenager.”

“Would you like to listen to records with me this weekend?” He had a mixture of nervousness and confidence in his voice as if he knew you would say yes but he also wasn’t totally certain.

Your stomach twists up at his invitation, “Yeah. Yeah, I would like to listen to records with you.”

The train was pulling up to Yeonjun’s stop, the breaks screeching loudly and piercing everyone’s ears. He leans down to your ear to whisper, “Alright then it’s a date. I’ll text you tonight about what time works.”

The train stops and Yeonjun waves to you as he exits. No time for you to respond or for your lungs to even take a single breath.

_Holy shit. Holy shit! Yeonjun asked me on a date!!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On Yeonjun's Spotify playlist he has "Sunflower" and it was the only song I actually knew.


	4. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeonjun invites you over to his apartment to listen to records.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who has read this story until the end!

It was Saturday morning, the day you were going over to Yeonjun’s apartment to listen to records together. You wake up with a stomach ache because you’re so damn anxious thinking about going over.

You’ve only seen Yeonjun at work, wearing work clothes and doing work things. What if he’s actually really freaking weird? Fuck that would happen to you. At work he’s all types of wonderful but off the clock he’s super strange. You can’t think of any specific thing that would be weird about him but the thought of it made you worried.

You sigh, roll out of bed and begin getting ready for Yeonjun’s.

As you’re shampooing your hair in the shower, your mind pings in an idea you hadn’t even considered before, were you supposed to bring something? Like a gift of some sorts?

“Goddammit, if I don’t bring anything he will think I’m an asshole,” you say to yourself. “But what if he thinks I’m being too forward if I do bring something?”

You decide that no matter what you choose there’s a chance he will think you’re a total ass so you might as well get something.

After your shower, you do your hair and makeup in ways that suite you best. You open your closet and stare at your clothes hanging inside. Dozens of options but nothing to wear.

You ultimately decide on your favorite jeans that make your butt look incredible, a long sleeved top, black leather jacket, black boots and your favorite small black bag. You look at yourself in the mirror with a sigh, “Whelp, this is as good as it’s going to get.”

After a quick trip to a local bakery for sweet treats and a pitstop at Starbucks, you’re on the train to Yeonjun’s apartment. Your skin is tingling with nerves and mind racing with anxious thoughts on repeat. What if his apartment smells weird? What if because we aren’t at work things are awkward? What if he forgot about today? What if he actually has a girlfriend and you’ve been reading him wrong this entire time?

Your stop arrives quicker than you anticipated so you nearly miss it. You exit the station with your phone out to text Yeonjun that you’re a few blocks away.

 **Yeonjun:** I’ll be waiting for you outside my building :)

The thought of him standing outside looking adorable as hell waiting for you of all people makes your heart jump.

A couple blocks later and you can see Yeonjun in the distance. You’re a few yards away and he calls out to you while flailing his arms in the air, “Hey!”

You can’t help but beam at him and wave, “Hi Yeonjun! You really didn’t have to stand out here in the cold for me.”

He shrugs, “It’s no big deal. I didn’t want you to get lost. What would I tell our supervisor on Monday if you got lost because of me?”

You laugh, “Not seeing our supervisor again sounds pretty damn good to me. Oh!” You hand him an iced Americano, “I got us drinks and some pastries.”

He gives you a cute smile, thanks you and leads you into the building and up to his apartment on the seventh floor. He unlocks his door and opens it for you, “Come on in.”

You had no idea what to expect for Yeonjun’s place but it certainly had more plants than you had anticipated. Along the windows he had a couple succulents and a few others you weren’t sure about. He had one couch, a coffee table with a lit cinnamon candle on top, a TV on a small stand then an end table next to it with a record player and box of records. His kitchen had light wood cabinets with white linoleum countertops. He didn’t have a kitchen table so you assumed he ate on the couch or at the counter.

Yeonjun is wearing dark wash jeans, a wide striped black and white sweater and a black beret. He looks absolutely adorable.

“So what do you think?” Yeonjun says closing the door behind him and locking it. He takes a sip of his drink, “It’s not much but it’s home.”

“It’s cute! I like your plants. What do you want me to do with the pastries?”

“Oh! I’ll put them on a plate. You can look through my record box if you’d like,” you hand over the bag and make your way to his box of records.

You sit on the ground and begin to flip. There are a few old records that look like he picked up from a thrift shop while others are from the mid-2000s to now. They are all Western artists so you’re assuming he got everything when he moved to America.

“See anything you like?” He sits on the couch with his drink in hand and places the pastries down on the table.

“You have very good taste, Jun,” you say. “Let’s listen to this first!” You choose Vampire Weekend’s album “Contra,” a favorite of yours from your teen years.

Yeonjun puts it on the record player and you immediately sing along to the opening lyrics of “Horchata” making him laugh. When the beat picks up you wiggle along with the song making him laugh harder.

You give him a gentle push on the arm, “You’re just jealous of my incredible dance moves.”

He sits down on the couch, “Yeah, something like that.”

You join him, leaving two feet of space between you, you don’t want to make things weird right off the bat. You ask him about how he came across this album (he thought it looked interesting) and what his favorite track is (“Cousins”) . When his favorite song came on he plays the air drums which has you giggling like a fool.

The next album was from The 1975, a British rock band, that you both are gaga over. He puts on their second album, “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it.” When the song “She’s American” comes on he pokes you in the arm every time the lead singer sings “she’s American” which makes you laugh.

You pick a softer album for the third one so you two could have an actual conversation. You put on the xx’s album “Coexist.”“So are you feeling more comfortable being in America than you were a few months ago?” You ask.

“Yeah I am,” he sighs. “I still miss home though. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice leaving everything I’ve ever known to be here.”

Your heart aches a bit, feeling sad that Yeonjun is having a hard time.

“Everything in America is so different from Korea,” he continues, looking at his hands. “The food, the people, the language. It’s all so foreign to me even though it’s nearly been a year. I feel like I should be fully adjusted by now.”

“Hey,” you move closer to him. “It’s ok to not be adjusted. It’s ok to still feel uncertain and question your choices. I think that’s just a part of life. Getting used to anything takes time especially a huge change like moving to the other side of the planet. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

“Thank you, y/n,” he puts his hand on top of yours. “I appreciate your kindness. Meeting you has been one of the best things to happen to me since moving here.”

Immediately your cheeks flush bright pink, “Oh no, I’m not that special or anything like that. You’re just saying that.”

Yeonjun’s eyes widen, “What? Why would I just say that? I always mean what I say to you.”

Now feeling foolish for letting your nerves get to you. You lean your forehead against his shoulder in defeat, “I’m sorry, Yeonjun. I didn’t mean that.”

He squeezes your hand, “It’s alright. People aren’t always honest with one another so they say things to sound polite. When I’m with you, I don’t feel like I have to pretend to be somebody else. I can be me. That’s one of the reasons why I like you so much.”

Every bell and whistle is going off in your head at the sound of “I like you so much”! Like me like a friend? More than a friend? Like a crush? Do friends hold hands together? Yes sometimes but sometimes not.

You lift your head to sit up properly, “You’re so sweet, Jun.”

“This might sound weird to ask,” Yeonjun blushes. “But can I have a hug? I haven’t had a hug since I left home.”

“You’re too cute. Yeah, we can hug.”

You both stand up, you’re a little wobbly from how nervous you are to hug him. Your heart is beating in your ears as he opens his arms to brings you in. You open yours and you wrap your arms around each other in a warm embrace.

You rest your head on his chest and take in all of the senses. Whatever cologne he’s wearing smells musky and incredible. His sweater is soft against your cheek as he pulls you in close to him, his arms around you make it feel safe. Being in his arms feels like a place where nothing bad can happen, a place where there’s only happiness. You feel his chest rise and fall while he breathes and the faint sound of his heartbeat.

Melting into a puddle on the floor seemed incredibly possible as the seconds turn into minutes with you two holding each other as the record ends, silence falling.

You lift your head off his chest to look up to meet his dark eyes for a moment then lay your head back on his chest.

“I like hugging you,” he says, giving you a quick squeeze.

“I like hugging you too.”

“Can we stay like this for a little bit longer?” He asks, you can hear the anxiety in his voice, worrying you might say no.

“We can stay like this as long as you want.”

Even though you two aren’t speaking, you feel connected to him. You rub your hands up and down his back then smush your face into his chest. You burry your nose into his sweater and take a deep breath.

Without warning your stomach growls, making Yeonjun laugh.

“Hungry?” He says while rubbing your back.

“A little bit. Are you hungry?”

“I am,” he taps a finger on your head signaling you to look up at him. “I’m not a great cook but would you want to order pizza? Maybe watch something?”

You smile wide, “That sounds great! But it also means we have to end our hug.”

Yeonjun pouts, “We can hug again later, right?”

You laugh into his chest and nod, “Of course.”

At the same time you let your arms drop, even though nothing has changed, everything feels different. The vibes in the room are warmer with a hint of awkwardness.

He orders the pizza while you scroll through Netflix to find something you both will enjoy. You pick a Korean movie you both haven’t seen and put on English subtitles for yourself.

Instead of sitting apart, you sit right next to each other with his arm around the back of the couch. You lean into him to whisper, “You can put your arm around me if you want.”

He nervously laughs, “Ha, yeah?” And wraps his arm around your shoulders. You again relish in his warmth, in the safety of his touch which makes the butterflies in your stomach go wild.

After the pizza arrives and is eaten, Yeonjun looks at you with caring in his eyes that you can’t stop gazing into. He moves closer to you and wraps his arm around your waist.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you all day,” he whispers in your ear. “How beautiful you look.”

You giggle and push a strand of hair behind your ear, “Thank you. You look really cute today.”

You press your forehead against his.

“Thank you,” he says then rubs the tip of his nose up and down the bridge of your nose. “Can I kiss you?”

You nod, “Yes.”

He leans in and lightly presses his lips against yours. His lips are so soft as they mesh with yours. He pulls away and looks for a reaction from you.

You put your hand on the back of his head to pull him back in for a second kiss. This one is deeper than the first one, moving your lips in sync with one another like it was the most natural thing. You both pull away then you steal another quick kiss just to feel his pillowy lips once more.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you since the day we started working together,” he admits. “I really couldn’t ask for a better person to be my coworker, friend and…maybe something more.”

Your heart drops into your stomach, “Are you asking me…?”

“Uh yeah,” he says. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

You wrap your arms around him and kiss his cheek, “Yes! I would love to.”

“Even though we could get in trouble at work?”

You kiss his cheek on repeat, “I think we will be alright as long as we don’t tell anybody at work we are dating. And no physical affection at work.”

“I think we can manage that,” he says stroking your hair. “I’m so happy. I’m so excited to see where things go.”

“Me too,” you say then press your lips against his.

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to have more chapters in the near future! Some will be drabbles while others will have more plot development.


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